Saturday, March 3, 2018

Top Five Foods in the Autism Community

I think one of the most common things I see in our community is how hard it is to get our kids to eat. Textures, tastes, smells, and even colors can affect what your child will eat. So I wondered, are there common foods among our kids?

Top Five Foods in the Autism Community

I'm friends with countless autism families. I follow even more of them on Facebook. So over the years I've been taking notes on what foods are the most commonly tolerated among our kids. Because let's face it, they need to eat. So we need to know what to offer.

1.) Chicken Nuggets

I honestly don't think I've ever met or read about an autism kid that didn't love to eat chicken nuggets. The brands may vary, and some only eat Gluten Free ones, but in general, they love chicken nuggets.

My kid will only eat them from McDonald's, Burger King, or KFC. He refuses all store bought or even home made nuggets. But at least he's eating meat!

2.) Cereal

I've seen a lot of autie kiddos that live off of cereal. My son and my nephew love it, but it has to be DRY. No milk! As a matter of fact, my son could eat cereal every day, all day. However, the types vary. For a few months it will be Cocoa Pebbles. Then once there's a sale and I stock up, they suddenly taste funny to him. Then we're onto the next kind. That ranges from Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks, Rice Chex or Cheerios.

3.) Pizza

It seems that tons of autistic kids and adults alike love pizza. Again, brand and toppings vary. I personally love pizza, but like I said, only from certain places. If it's store bought, I will only eat Sam's Choice.

My son won't touch it. Never has. He hates red sauce. Loathes it. He also hates foods touching so to him, pizza is a sensory nightmare.

4.) French Fries

Number four on this list is fries. It seems that autistic kids love fries. In this house they have to be only fries from McDonald's. Liam will touch no other type of french fries. I however love fries from anywhere. The more grease and salt, the better.

5.) Fruit Snacks

So this may not actually count as a food group, but some have real fruit in them, so I'm counting them. Liam will only eat Welch's fruit snacks, but since they have real fruit, I'm good with that. Autistic kids seem to love these chewy and fruity bites. If you think about it, they're great sensory input too. That squishy texture in your mouth is very fulfilling if you're a sensory seeker.

So tell me, did any of the foods in your autism home make the list? If not, what would you add?